Drier spring creating 'dangerous situation,' Manitoba fire chief says amid recent grass fires
Environment Canada says expect warm, dry conditions for parts of the province through June
A drier-than-normal spring forecast is sparking some concerns following a string of grass fires in Manitoba this past weekend.
Art Benjamin, owner of Industrial Trailer Sales in Winnipeg, said a couple of his trailers were damaged after a grass fire spread onto his property along a section of a CN Rail line on Sunday afternoon.
"I think we're lucky the wind conditions were not at full tilt, like at 60 kilometres an hour," he said, recalling a fire in 2018 that burned down 55 of his trailers, worth $1.5 million. "It's still haunting me."
The blaze along Fermor Avenue was one of three separate grass fires that were reported in Winnipeg and surrounding communities Sunday, amid drier than normal conditions so far this spring.
At around 8:24 p.m. Sunday, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a grass fire near Sturgeon Road and Silver Avenue, according to a city news release.
Also that evening, the Narol Fire Department in the rural municipality of St. Clements responded to a blaze on the banks of the Red River Floodway, north of Birds Hill Provincial Park.
Narol fire Chief Robert Herda said that grass fire covered an area roughly a couple hundred yards wide and about a mile long.
"It'll make it so much easier for us if we can get a little rain here," Herda said Tuesday. "Because that grass is incredibly dry right now…. It just creates a dangerous situation."
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's drought monitor showed some parts of Manitoba were abnormally dry as of March 31.
A provincial fire bulletin from earlier this month warned that matted grass and dry and dead vegetation "can easily be ignited and lead to fast-moving wildfires in the spring, especially on windy days." The bulletin said most fires in the season are caused by human activity.
Environment and Climate Change Canada said a seasonal forecast issued last month suggested drier-than-normal conditions in some parts of province between April and June, including most of southern and all of central Manitoba.
"It's not a very strong signal, but I think it will be important considering … how much precipitation we've gotten up to now, which isn't very much," said Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist with the federal agency.
The forecast "doesn't mean there isn't precipitation in the forecast — there is," Hasell said Tuesday.
"It's raining right now in a good chunk of southern Manitoba, which is nice. But the total amount that we're expecting is less than normal."
'We can lose everything'
A fire severity anomaly forecast from Natural Resources Canada shows an "average" rating for most of Manitoba next month. But the agency forecasts much of the province will be at an above-average or well-above-average severity level by August.
"There are caveats here…. But generally speaking, we are talking about warmer than normal conditions and generally drier than normal conditions for the next several months," Hasell said, adding that the situation could worsen wildfires this year.
Benjamin, with Industrial Trailer Sales, said he sees fires every year. He said he would like to see the areas around the rail track fireproofed with gravel.
"We can't operate like this anymore," he said. "It's a concern to all the employees and especially my wife, you know. She hears a fire truck or something and we get a call — it's craziness, you know. We can lose everything."
CN Rail declined to comment.
Brian Seaton, fire chief in the rural municipality of Springfield, said in an email Tuesday the cause of the Fermor Avenue fire is still under investigation.
Seaton added that residents should be cautious when doing yard cleanups, bonfires or any other sort of burning, given the warmer temperatures and dry conditions.
With files from Josh Crabb